


Taken too Literally

by Magical_Awesome_Kid



Category: Sander Sides, Sanders Sides, Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Embodiment of personality, Gen, Mentions of blood but no one is injured really, Roman angst, Sickness but imaginary, bloody nose, ok now someone is injured but they'll be fine, slices of life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:11:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Awesome_Kid/pseuds/Magical_Awesome_Kid
Summary: When you are a facet of a singular personality, you sometimes find yourself experiencing things too… literally.





	1. Bleeding Heart

            Patton Sanders was, for all intents and purposes, the heart behind Thomas. He embodied emotions at his core, and, because Thomas was a generally happy person, so, too, was he.

            Thomas was also a caring person, and, that day, he had volunteered his time with the local animal shelter for their biannual adoption day.

            “OOOO LOOK AT THE PUPPIES!!!” Patton cheered as he raced around the animals that had been superimposed on the mindscape. Virgil was off to the side petting some of the older, calmer animals that were part of the center’s senior groups while Logan was helping with logistics and paperwork for potential adopters. Roman was… having a staring contest with a cat.

            “I WILL DEFEAT THE BEAST!” He cried as he refused to look away.

            Virgil was rolling his eyes at the creative side. “Dude, it’s a cat.”

            “KITTY!” Patton tried to run over to the pile of kittens he’d spotted before he sneezed, falling back on his butt.

            Logan looked over has he rolled his eyes. “Patton, you are ALLERGIC!” He pointed out, literally, as he had a pen and clipboard in hand and was using the pen to point at the other facet.

            Patton sniffed as he dug around his pockets for some tissues. He eventually found a pack and blew his nose to get out the allergens. “Didn’t Thomas take some medication this morning for his mild cat allergy?” Roman pointed out before he realized he looked away. He turned back to the cat, glaring. “You blinked, didn’t you?”

            The cat turned away, slapping Roman with its tail hit his face. “HEY!”

            Roman ended up getting relocated to the scaly animals with Deceit, who had squired himself over there as soon as they’d arrived. “NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME, DECEIT!!!”

            Deceit hissed to the snake in his hands. “Oh, yes Roman. I was totally listening.”

            “THANK YOU!”

            Patton chased a bunch of dogs around as Thomas did, only grabbing a particular dog and handing it off to Logan when it was chosen for adoption. There were just so many good boys and girls. Patton just wanted them all to go to loving homes or take them home himself (he knew he couldn’t but STILL).

            Then, the day began to end as the last of the families head out; however… there were still a lot of animals there.

            “Great job, people!” The head of the shelter congratulated as they came around. “We had a really successful adoption day, I must say! Thank you again for all your work!”

            Patton looked around, but there were still so many puppies and kitties and scaly friends and everything in between left. “But… there are so many animals left!” He cried out as he kneeled before one of the fluffy buddies that hadn’t been taken home that day. This one is particular was unique in that he was missing a front leg, but the puppy was ever happy and excited. “How could anyone not decide to take you all?”

            “Hey, Patton, Thomas is helping round up the last of the… PATTON!” Virgil yelped as Patton looked up. “WHAT HAPPENED?”

            “Huh?” The emotional side asked as he felt something trail down his face.

            Virgil scrambled through his hoodie until he found some towels he had stuffed in his pockets, pushing them to Patton’s face. “You are BLEEDING!”

            “What? Who’s injured?!?” Roman slid into place before Patton. “Padre! Who harmed you?”

            “What’s going on here?” Logan called as he came over.

            “PATTON’S HURT!”

            Patton waved his hands. “Guys, guys! No one hurt me!”

            “REALLY?” Roman conjured a mirror. “Then who did THIS?”

            In the mirror, Patton saw himself, but… his face was a mess. As he pulled away the tissues, he saw that his nose and mouth were covered in blood and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he had been in a fight, for sure.

            Logan, however, was calm as he got the towels out of Virgil’s hands and handed the nervous side off to Roman. “Patton, how are you feeling?”

            “I’m GREAT!” Patton tried to cover, but there was a distinct hiss from behind the group. Virgil glanced but saw nothing even as he was glaring.

            “Don’t lie.” Logan warned as the emotional side sighed.

            “I just…” He scooped the puppy into his arms. “All these animals. I want them all to go to good homes or come with us and I know we can’t but…”

            Logan pushed the towels back to Patton’s face, but they had been refolded so that the clean parts were pushed to the skin. “Tilt your head forward, you bleeding heart.” He gave a small smile that was gone before anyone noticed. “You are having an emotional reaction to all these animals. It’s not serious, but you should care for the nose and clean up. Roman, Virgil, just keep an eye on him – and each other,” he looked at the jittery Virgil, “for any signs of distress, but Patton should be ok once we finish up here.”

            Patton did as he instructed, tilting his head forward as Logan moved his hand to pinch his nose in a certain spot. Once he’d gotten everyone organized, he stood. “I’ll take care of the rest of this, so you take a break. Roman, if Patton gets dizzy, give him some water and something with sugar. Virgil, don’t panic.”

            Virgil took a breathe. “Trying. Kinda difficult when… uh…”

            “We know. You aren’t good with injuries.” Roman comforted before he turned to Patton. “And you, good Padre, must tell us if you get dizzy.”

            “I will.” Patton promised as he kept his head forward, his voice all weird because of his plugged nose.

            Sure enough, once Thomas had left the center for the night and got home, Patton was mostly ok after cleaning up. He still had stuffed up nose from the allergies and bleeding, but he was more ok now.

            This wasn’t the first incident (snakes without arms made it happen A LOT), but at least Roman and Virgil had learned about it and knew how to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I'm not sure where this is going but I'll continue if I can get more ideas! I'm also looking for phrases like "bleeding heart" and stuff so leave comments if u got ideas!


	2. Brain Freeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Logan wanted to do was have a nice, quiet day of reading and appreciating the quaint company. Then ice cream got involved...

            It was a hot, summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there was a gentle breeze filled with the scent of flowers in the air. Thomas Sanders was, of course, taking this all in the way he normally would.

            Sitting inside with the shades closed and not interacting with the outside world.

            “Come ON!” Roman cried at the floor of the mindscape home. “We should be OUTSIDE! It’s a BEAUTIFUL day!!!” He begged as he went around the room.

            Logan looked up from the book that he was reading, eyebrow raised. Logan had actually been content with Thomas today as the young man was reading the book _Ready Player One_ after seeing the movie and having some soothing music in the background. Virgil was on the floor listening to the music and doing one of the adult coloring books that was supposed to help with Anxiety while Patton was across from him doing the same. Virgil’s was mostly cool colors of a creepy-esque scene while Patton’s was all bright colors of flowers and animals.

            “Well, kiddo, we can do something later! How about that?” Patton suggested as he looked up from his crayon drawing.

            “Or not.” Virgil posed, not looking. “Because right now everything is pretty dang ok.”

            Princey threw his head back in a grown. “But… adventure! Excitement! SUNSHINE AND PRINCES OUT THERE TO GET!”

            “While sunshine is good for Thomas, this is one of the few times he’s reading freely.” Logan added as he looked back to his book. He’d only just started the same book as Thomas as he’d been reading on the Solar system earlier, and, while some of the logic of the book was purely fictional (hence the sci- _fi_ ), the deepening lore and attention to detail very much was entertaining to Logan. He was also all for the riddles along the way.

            Roman’s next comment was cut off by Thomas’ phone ringing. The man glanced at the item, a text message on the screen.

            _Joan: Hey Tom-Tom! A bunch of us are grabbing ice cream. Want in?_

            Thomas grinned as he set the phone down for a moment to bookmark the novel. Logan sighed as Patton jumped up, screeching. “ICE CREAM!!!”

            “EPIC! LET’S GET SOME!!!” Roman agreed as he made a pose.

            Virgil and Logan met eyes. Logan couldn’t read emotions easily, but Virgil was so obviously displeased even Logan could see it. “Yeah, I don’t know… I mean, we could end up getting injured leaving the house… or embarrassed. What if the ice cream spills all over us in front of our friends. We could just eat the ice cream in the freezer…”

            Patton turned to Virgil, his eyes blown wide. “But KIDDO! ICE CREAM! FRIENDS! Come on, it won’t be that bad!!!”

            Virgil wavered. Patton’s eyes were huge and very much pleading.

            Roman leaned in. “Plus, if it worries you so, we will be the most careful of nobility in eating our ice cream and proceed with caution when crossing the roads, Sir Doom and Gloom.”

            Virgil sighed, and Logan knew. “FINE! Let’s ice cream.”

            Patton screeched as he bounced round as Logan huffed. Thomas was already replying as he got up to get ready to go, book set aside and forgotten for now.

            The Logical side understood that this was good for him, but he ALSO wanted to read in peace as they had. He tucked himself back into his chair, book in his face as the others helped Thomas.

            Logan paid the barest amount of attention to what surrounded Thomas. In a situation like this, the other three sides were more prominent with Roman leading the fun charge, Patton entertaining friends and having a blast with others, and Virgil on the general look out for trouble. They would let Logan know if he was necessary.

            Then, it began.

            Logan was sitting there when the first shiver hit him. He tried to ignore it in lieu of his book, concentration on the scene before him as he tried to unravel the riddle for the second key.

            But as he sat there, the cold got worse and worse, even as he tried to ignore that, logically, there was no heat or warmth in the mindscape. It was always an ideal temperature. Was Roman messing with the temperature to mess with him?

            “Roman, could you please turn up the heat?” Logan requested, but his teeth were chattering as he did so.

            “What? Specs, it’s already so warm!” Roman replied from somewhere, Logan wasn’t sure. They were currently out of the room.

            Logan huffed as he pulled off his shoes to tuck his feet under him in an attempt to keep his warmth close. The Logical brain of the four figured SOMEONE was messing with something, but, if no one else was affected, maybe it was contained to the room? Would changing rooms help?

            Logan removed himself from the chair as he shivered again, picking up his shoes rather than putting them back on and heading up the stairs to his bedroom. Logically, his room wouldn’t be effected by whatever ‘magic’ Princey was no doubt spewing.

            But, instead, his room seemed TWICE as cold as the living room. He glared in frustration as his glasses fogged, his teeth chattering as he stepped in. He grabbed his winter sweater – which was, logically, not necessary in summer, but he was just so gawddamn COLD. He also snagged the slippers he’d gotten from Christmas from Patton. They were dark blue with the emblem of Ravenclaw on them, which was just nerdy yet simple enough for Logan’s taste. He normally only wore them in his room, but with how cold it was, there was no chance of him staying there.

            Rubbing his arms, he went back to the living space to curl back in his chair.

            Voices were all over the place until Logan realized that he was just shivering too much to focus on his book. He pushed it away, tucking himself back as he closed his eyes. He listened to the voices around him instead.

            There was the general tomfoolery of his ‘family’ as they went back and forth, not really noticing him, it seemed, until one voice perked out. “Guys, slow down on the sundae!” Virgil warned as he stomped by.

            “Oh, it’s no worry, kiddo!” Patton chimed as Logan felt the air stir behind him. “You want any, Logan?” Patton asked behind him only for a hand to settle on his shoulder.

            It was burning in comparison to the little amount of skin the neck exposed, and Patton let off a high-pitched ‘EEP’ as he reeled back. “I-I am-m go-od, Pa-at-ton.” He chattered out, not feeling like anything cold at the moment.

            The mindscape stilled as Thomas gripped his head. Somewhere, distantly, Logan heard one of Thomas’ friends ask if he was alright.

            “Yeah, just brain freeze.”

            Logan’s eyes popped open as he groaned. “Seriously? _BRAIN_ FREEZE?”

            Virgil popped in as he looked at the two. “I KNEW something would happen! Thomas! Stop shoveling your face!” Virgil used his commanding voice to get Thomas to stop eating. “Good, now push your tongue to the roof of your mouth.”

            “Hey! We were about to win that… hold the phone, Logan?” Logan looked at Roman. “What happened? You’re BLUE!”

            “Dark blue is my color, yes.”

            “No Nerd McGeek, you’re ACTUALLY blue!”

            Patton rushed out of the room only to bring back a plug-in heating blanket. “Logan! You should know better to tell us when something is wrong!” Patton chided as he wrapped Logan in the blanket.

            Logan sighed as he pulled his hands into his armpits to warm them. “Well I certainly didn’t expect you to shovel down the ice cream like a beast.” He threw at the group, not really looking at anyone.

            The chair was soon stretched as Patton came to cuddle up on Logan’s side. At Logan’s look, Patton smiled. “Well, the heating blanket is going to need a minute to warm up, so we might as well make sure your _LOW-_ gan temperature doesn’t last!”

            Logan grumbled in response. “Body heat, yes, but puns I prefer not.”

            Roman fell onto his other side. At Logan’s look, the Prince smiled. “What? Can’t let a beautiful face like yours suffer so.”

            “We have the same face.”

            “Exactly!”

            Virgil rolled his eyes before he got back to helping Thomas thaw out the freezing temperature in his head.

            Once Thomas was warmed, Virgil guided him to eat more slowly. Roman and Patton joined back in once the heating blanket was warmed, leaving Logan to defrost as well. Already his color was less abnormal blue and more their normal pallor. By the time Thomas had finished eating and had chosen to accompany the sweet with a little warm coffee, Logan had completely thawed.

            Just in time, too. “LOGAN!” He heard, head spinning from the book as Patton ran in, grinning. “Thomas and Talyn just started a debate on dairy vs dairy free diet. Do you want in?”

            Logan thought for a moment before giving a small smile. “While I have not studied in depth the topic, I can surely give a few pointers.”

            “YAY! Oh, but only if you are cool.”

            In truth, Logan was getting quite uncomfortably warm. “I assure you, Patton, I am as hot as ever.”

            The emotional figure paused in what he was saying. “WAS THAT A DAD JOKE?!?”

            Logan groaned in response, burying his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated, and I am still up for suggestions!!! THANK YOU!!!


	3. Inflated Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman was the embodiment of Thomas' creativity along with a few other things: confidence, his more feminine side... and his ego.

            Roman was on top of the world. Thomas had just had a magnificent closing night performance after weeks of practice for the show he was in. Thanks to Roman, the acting had been acclaimed, all over the papers for where they reached. Thomas had so many telling him they forgot he was acting and not the character themselves he was so good.

            On top of that, the latest video they had done had gone gangbuster. Not only had it gotten into Trending, but the Fanders had just been all over it on every social media platform known to man (and, yes, he had Virgil check Tumblr, too). It was nothing but praise and good news, and Thomas was feeling lighter than air when he got up that morning.

            Roman, as his creativity and general confidence, was absolutely overflowing with the stuff. He’d been high on the lime light all weekend, and, now, he was going to get to show off to the other sides (whom he hadn’t seen much of in that time thanks to all the commitments).

            The Prince was dressed in his pressed outfit as he slid down the banister. As he entered the kitchen area, he saw three of his counterparts and the other core sides of Thomas’ personality. Patton was scrambling eggs at the stove as the TV played cartoons in the background, Logan reading at the table as he munched on Toast with Crofters and coffee. Virgil was digging through the fridge at the moment, but his tablet was at the table. “Morning, my dearest companions and friends!” He greeted as he sat down at his usual spot. “I MUST catch you up on all that has happened this weekend!”

            Patton smiled down at the eggs as he began to take them off the stove. “Sounds great, kiddo! Do you…” Patton looked up as the eggs were dished off the pan, his eyes frozen on Roman.

            Creativity took it in stride. Patton was probably already astounded by Roman’s presence (as everyone should). “Yes, my dear Padre! It was an EPIC tale this weekend of adventure and magnificence!” Roman began as he waved his hands around. “I must tell you all! It started on Friday after Thomas posted the most recent video. It went WILD on the interwebs!”

            Patton was still staring, but he also moved to tap Logan on the shoulder. “Wow, kiddo, that’s…”

            “AND…and!” Roman cut off, now standing with his arms waving around, “The whole chat box was so positive! Oh my stars, Padre, they were all commenting in and a few even mentioned us even if we weren’t in the video! Oh, and the evening! It was fantastical! Stupendous!”

            Patton was tapping Logan’s shoulder again and again until the logical side huffed. “What is it, Patton?” He said as he looked to the other bespeckled side.

            “Why, he wants your attention on me instead of the book! I have such a great tale to tell!” Roman bolstered as he puffed his chest.

            “Roman, I am reading a very interesting cancer research bo…” Logan trailed off as he looked at Roman.

            Roman knew even Microsoft Nerd would be so enthralled by him and his tale that he’d surely see that it was greater than any book. “So, as I was saying, Thomas goes up on stage and he gives the performance of his life! It was EPIC and the crowd was begging for more! Oh, all the news sources were singing his praises, and it was beautiful! I mean, this is only the beginning! With his accolades, he’ll be on Broadway in no time!”

            “Roman…” Logan tried to cut off as he set the book down. “You may want…”

            “Oh, my wants have been answered! Though, I won’t turn down Crofters. Oh, the Crofters people also called us! They said sales are going great, and I’m DEFINITELY getting my flavor!”

            Logan cleared his throat. “While they are going well it’s not a…”

            The refrigerator door behind them snapped shut as Virgil carried the milk over. “Hey, Patton, where’s the expiration date on this? I’m not sure why but it smells funky to me.” Virgil glanced up, eyes blown wide. “Fuck Princey what happened to your head???”

            Roman stopped moving as he looked at the darker counterpart. “My head? Why, it is as perfect as ever!”

            “Uh, kiddo… you may actually want to sit down…” Patton warned as he tried to move around the table but Logan stopped him.

            “No, don’t get close. We need to let it out gently.”

            “Let what out? What are you guys talking about?” Roman turned to the three. “I am as perfect as perfect can be!”

            Virgil gapped. “Dude, have you seen yourself in a mirror?”

            Logan’s eyes blew wide. “No, no mirror. Just sit.”

            Roman rolled his eyes as he conjured a mirror. “Please, specs, I can do whatever I wa… GREAT ODIN’S EYEPATCH!” Roman had to hold the mirror at arm’s length to take it all in, but his head had inflated to three times its normal height and width like a giant balloon. “WHAT IS GOING ON???”

            Logan rubbed his temples. “I believe you are suffering from extreme inflated ego.” Logan explained as the others looked at him.

            “But isn’t it usually less extreme?” Patton questioned as he looked.

            Logan looked up. “Yes, well, usually it is in a less extreme case.”

            Roman finally seemed to snap awake from the mirror. “MY FACE!” He dropped the mirror, grabbing his head. “No! It can’t end like this! I still need my jam!”

            “You realize that we are not at the point yet where you would get your label, yes?” Logan looked at Roman with a stern eye.

            “But it’s a GUARANTEE!”

            “No, we still need sales another few months before production is even freezable.” Logan corrected.

            Roman frowned. “Well then, even with all this, we should be prepared for the call to Broadway! How will I fix myself before then?”

            “Dude, we just finished a local show not some audition.” Virgil returned as Roman looked again. “There’s no Broadway tomorrow.”

            “But… but…” Roman sighed, his breathe seemingly coming out in a gust. “Yes, maybe I am… getting a little ahead of myself. Maybe this is why the Fanders don’t like me as much…”

            “Ok, now hold the phone right there.” Patton chided. “I will PHYSICALLY fight you if you talk bad about yourself.”

            “Roman, you serve a purpose just as any of us, and recent polling has shown that our pulls are more equal amongst the fandom now than ever before.” Logan noted as he pulled a Laptop from thin air. “I can mock up a slide show for you to see exactly how each of our influences and popularities have shifted and evened with each video.”

            Virgil put the milk down. “I’m not saying it’s impossible but have some real goals right now.” The anxious side reminded him. “Please don’t give me more work than I have to. This weekend was nerve wracking enough.”

            “Oh, you poor baby!” Patton hugged Virgil as the other young man tried to slip loose. “You were so anxious about the whole show! But it went so well!”

            “Yes, objectively speaking, it was a fine performance.” Logan nodded.

            Roman smiled up at them. “Ok, so MAYBE I got a little ahead of myself. I’m still proud though… and thanks guys.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But how are we taking care of my head???”

            Logan gave a small smile as he turned the computer around, the camera pointed to Roman as on screen showed the camera’s view. “It seems that giving you some grounding has done the work for us.”

            Roman heaved a sigh of relief in seeing his own head back to normal size. The others had seen it slowly shrink as they gave him perspective, but they also didn’t want to crush him (a bruised ego was just as disastrous if not more so).

            Patton released Virgil before he pulled Roman into a hug. “You’re still our hero, kiddo!” Roman smiled as he hugged the dad back. Once broken, Patton went back to the now-cold eggs and frowned. “I feel like I should make fresh, but I don’t want to waste these…”

            “Oh! I know who can eat those!” Roman smiled as he snapped his fingers.

            Suddenly, three corgis ran into the kitchen letting off excited barks as they went. Patton squealed on sight at the cute dogs while Logan sighed, trying to hide a small smile. Virgil leaned down to pat one of the puppers that had run up to him, smiling himself as the dog licked his palm.

            Roman grinned to himself as he got around to helping Patton with the dogs and making fresh breakfast. Having realistic goals like making his family happy wasn’t that bad, after all.

            He’d pen in Broadway for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Giggles like an idiot* I really appreciate the comments I'm getting from you guys. You have so many ideas, and I have SO many notes down! Oh, and for those waiting for a Virgil chapter, I promise that his is coming! In the mean time, I hope our humble Prince can entertain you!
> 
> Thanks again, guys, gals, and non-binary pals!


	4. Heightened Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Floating above your problems sounds great in retrospect, but, being Virgil, who's afraid of heights and falling, heightened anxiety does him no favors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all of you who wanted a Virgil chapter, HAVE AT THE ANXIOUS BABY!

            Virgil Sanders yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the crashing noise. Thomas, similarly, had literally jumped as he spun on his foot to see Talyn staring at the pot they had been holding. “Whoops. Sorry, Thomas.” They gave an apologetic grin as the man sighed, putting a hand to his chest.

            “No, no, sorry, I’m just a little on edge is all.” He commented as he tried to still his beating heart.

            The problem was that Virgil was far from calm at the moment. That morning had just been a bad start. He’d woken up feeling wrong, like something was haunting the corner of the room, and he’d had the most difficult time even getting out of bed without pure panic. He’d grabbed some cereal from the kitchen, saying hi to Patton before he ran back upstairs. He was just sure he was going to just bite someone’s head off or cry at the moment and every sound set him further and further into his anxiety.

            To say his anxiety was heightened today was an understatement.

            …Which was probably why he had ended up here.

            If it wasn’t for his weighted blanket, Virgil would be bumping into the ceiling. Floating above his problems, out of reach, seemed like a good concept in theory, but he was also afraid of heights and falling so that was out of the question. As it was, he was hiding under his weighted blanket with his music playing very softly for once, just trying to focus on anything but his internal panic. Thanks to the blanket, he was only a few inches off of his bed rather than at the ceiling or, worse, floating out the window never to return.

            Thomas had his anxiety heightened all day. He was working through a video with some of his friends, and he just wanted it to be PERFECT today. It seemed, however, that the smallest thing was ready to set the young man off.

            To say the other sides had noticed was an understatement.

            “Why is Nancy Doom up there causing so much anxiety today?” Roman asked as he worked through some set designs with Logan – Roman taking over the creative aspects and Logan trying to physically build them or throw them out for their pure ridiculousness/impossibility (as was 75% of them – really Roman? Fire breathing dragons in the HOUSE???)

            Patton was sewing something or other on the couch. He tended to just pick up hobbies left and right, and today he was making a vaguely bunny-shaped plush in purple and blue. “I don’t know, kiddo. I only saw him for a little this morning before he HOPPED right off!” He giggled as he held up the ears of his rabbit.

            Logan groaned before he erased something on the paper. “While I would normally suggest allowing Virgil to approach us when he is comfortable, maybe we should check on him.” Logan set the pencil down. “But perhaps not all at once. Studies suggest that crowding a person during a panic attack could lead to an increased negative response.”

            “Oh, the poor baby! I hope it’s not an attack! Those are the worst.” Patton returned as he hugged the unfinished bunny to his chest.

            Roman stood as he waved his hand. From Creativity came a bottle of water and a bag of pre-popped popcorn, something healthy but comforting. “I will endeavor to defeat the cloud of doom over our prince’s head!” He pronounced as he took off up the stairs.

            “But you CAN’T defeat a cloud it is just…” Logan’s voice drifted off as Roman left the common area.

            Meanwhile, Virgil was peeking out of his blanket with a frown, his water bottle having slipped out and fallen to the floor. He began to scoot to the edge of the bed, reaching out without wanting to actually leave the covers. “Damnit.” He swore as he tried to grab the bottle.

            The thing just seemed to want to frustrate him because it just. Kept. Slipping. Away. Frustration was turning into tears on his face as he finally leaned over far enough to grab it. “HA!” He threw at the inanimate object.

            However, just as he did so, the blanket fell off his form, having been half way out, and Virgil found himself floating up. “No NO NO NONO!” He tried to grab back onto the bed, but his heightened anxiety shot him straight to the ceiling. He felt his breathe rate increase as he dropped the bottle of water. The sound it made when it hit the ground was like a bomb going off, and, even though the room wasn’t that large, the floor seemed so far away.

            Virgil curled into himself, trying to grasp anything around him even as only blank ceiling met his hands. He winced as the soft knocks met his ears turned into jumps and skittering across the ceiling, him unable to calm down.

            “Virgil? Where art though, JD-Lightful?”

            Virgil hid in his jacket. No, no, none of the other sides had ever seen him this bad. He was always so careful to be out of sight on bad days, when general panic seemed not to amount to an attack but into consistent and persistent anxiety. He heard a gasp, waiting for the teasing.

            There was a voice below him, but Virgil couldn’t make it out. His hands had come to cover his ears, all the noise just too much right now. It wasn’t until something grabbed his foot that he flinched, looking out.

            Roman was sanding below him, but the man’s sash was off and now thrown into the air, latching onto Virgil’s foot. Roman waved his free hand as Virgil slowly removed his hands. “Good! Ok, grab the sash and I’ll hoist you down, ok? I got you, Virgil, trust me.”

            Roman seemed so far again, but asking Virgil to trust him? At one point, Virgil would have gladly shucked off the sash and taken the mess he was in over ever trusting Princey, but times had changed so much that Virgil slowly reached out and grasped the sash.

            The Prince indeed huffed as he pulled Virgil down. It was like gravity had reversed for the anxious side, and Roman knew full well that Virgil never did well with heights. Roman was, though, the most fit of the sides and managed to get Virgil down enough to grab his hoodie. Thinking quickly, Roman undid his sash around Virgil’s foot and draped it across his form, fastening it into place to give an easy hand hold. The item had been imbued by good magic, so there was no way it would break. Roman hooked one arm into it before looking at Virgil. “Hey, hey, you ok? Wait, stupid question. Rewind, restart: you’re not ok, but your prince is here to help!”

            Virgil couldn’t help but smile as he grasped the sash, feeling strangely grounded. The pull up lessened, and now it was more like he was a balloon then falling. “Uh… yeah… I’m, uh, having some heightened anxiety.” He admitted as he looked away.

            “Well, of all the things to happen, this is pretty dang cool.” Roman complimented as Virgil snorted.

            “Right, if you like heights.”

            “Right…” Roman nodded. “So, how do we undo this?”

            “Wait, ‘we?’”

            “Well, I’m particularly attached to this sash, which is attached to you so you don’t go flying again, so you’re stuck with me.”

            Virgil actually chuckled at that. “I don’t know. I usually just wait it out.”

            Roman nodded. He looked to the heavy blanket on the bed. “Do you want to maybe come down stairs? Logan and I are just doing planning, and Patton is sewing.”

            Normally, the commons were hectic, but the description was far more tame then normal. Virgil looked back at his blanket. Now that he was close enough, he was able to grab it. Pulling it over himself finally gave him the weight to step onto the ground. He looked to where the sash was and frowned. “I need a minute to figure out how to get this off…”

            “Nope. We’re keeping it.” Roman posed as Virgil shot him a look. “This is your string, balloon boy. Don’t want you floating off on us where we can’t reach you!”

            With that, Roman took his free arm to drape it across Virgil and only then removed his hand from the sash. As they exited the room, Virgil felt a constant hand on his shoulder or body, there to make sure that he wasn’t going to fall out and be stuck alone in the air again.

            When he made it down, Patton looked surprised. “Virgil, why are you wearing Roman’s sash?”

            Virgil didn’t want to say, but Roman grinned. “Aesthetics.” He added before plopping back in his spot. Logan lifted an eyebrow at the two.

            “Well, while you were gone, I looked over this and, I must ask, WHY?” He pointed at a section of design.

            “Because imagine the room filled to the brim with glitter! It would be FABULOUS!”

            “Not only would that be HIGHLY expensive but ridiculous to clean out later.”

            “Eugh, FINE, I guess I can get by with a BUCKET of glitter…”

            “Outside.”

            “Actually, the sun on the glitter would be VERY pretty…”

            Patton was back to his sewing as he looked at Virgil. “Hey, kiddo, you want to try? I have extra fabric, and the PAT-tern is easy.” Patton giggled at his own pun, causing a small smile to reach Virgil’s lips.

            Sewing did sound relaxing, but the man was nervous about letting go of the blanket and floating off again. Virgil fiddled with the heavy blanket before he looked at the sash. He took one end of the blanket to loop through the sash, making sure that it was safely on him without trapping his hands. “Uh, sure, but do you mind cutting the pieces? I’m a little, uh, shakey.” His hands were fidgeting as he said so.

            Patton cooed and pat his back. “I’m on it, kiddo. I’ve got mostly white and black left. Are those colors ok?”

            Virgil nodded before he spotted some scraps. “Can I get some red, too?”

            Virgil managed to naturally regain gravity as Thomas’ anxiety abated. By the end of the planning session, Virgil was able to stand firmly on the ground, and he returned the sash to Princey.

            He also, shyly, gave a messy bunny wearing a red sash to the man. Roman stared at it with open jaw as Virgil blushed. “Don’t look too far into this. Just… Thanks.”

            Roman grinned in return, hugging the small item to his chest. “Any time, Balloon boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we have the core sides done!
> 
> ...or HAVE we?
> 
> Anywho, thanks again!


	5. Spinning Webs of Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas has to keep his friend Valerie distracted from the Surprise Party he and his friends have been planning. In doing so, though, he's got to spin a few lies...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I, at first, thought Deceit was a piece of sh*t.
> 
> He's still a piece of sh*t but now he's OUR piece of sh*t. Dangit Thomas can't you make a character we DON'T start liking??? XD

            Logan had woken up late that day, but that happened on occasion when he had had a few days of late nights. He knew sleep was critical, but his friends had been in party planning mode – emphasis on ‘planning’ for him – for Valarie. They’d agreed to throw the girl a surprise party, and there were a lot of moving parts to that.

            Logan had gotten himself freshened up and ready to go on his normal ‘late morning’ schedule. He was adjusting his glasses as he opened his door, surprised to see another in the hallway at this admittedly late (for them, at least) time. “Good morning, Patton.” The Logical side greeted as Patton jumped from the board in front of his room. It was remnant of the white board Thomas had on his own dormitory in college, and Patton normally scribbled little doodles, notes, or happy sayings on it.

            Patton grinned as did the childish cat drawing on the board. “Morning, Lo! Wow, looks like we both slept in a little this morning. CAT-ch some extra sleep?”

            Logan was about to answer when the pun landed, causing a groan to escape his throat. “Maybe I should have stayed in bed.” It was only ten AM. He could totally pull a Virgil and go back to sleep.

            “Now, if you did that, you’d miss out on Crofter’s Toast!” Patton bribed as the Logical side perked.

            “Curse that video revealing my one fruit – I mean, fault.” Logan cursed under his breathe.

            Patton giggled as he got behind Logan and began to push the man down the hall. “Now, don’t be too harsh on yourself! Everyone has their Jams.”

            “I haven’t had enough coffee to deal with you.”

            Patton kept pushing, but Logan stalled half way down the stairs. “Lo? What’s up?”

            “What… in the hell… is going on?” Patton leaned around Logan, ready to chide the other side’s language, when he saw the scene.

            Yarn. Yarn was everywhere. Cozies had been wrapped up the banisters from half way, down into the main living room. The couch had a rainbow throw knit on it while every chair had dozens of doilies and small trinkets strewn about. Nets spanned across the room as Roman frantically tried to stretch them out, keep them straight (ha), and Virgil was on the floor organizing the un-knit strands into colors and rolling them into balls.

            A frantic giggling answered Logan as the Logical and Moral side turned to the edge of the couch. There, Deceit grinned with knitting needles in his hands and half of what looked like a sweater made out. “Oh, everything is wrong, Logic, and it’s completely terrible!” The side laughed like a child as he pumped out the sweater at inhuman rates. Before they knew it, most of the body was made.

            “Would you SLOW IT DOWN!” Roman complained as he grabbed another net to organize the smaller items. “He’s going to trip up at this rate!”

            “Uh… kiddoes?” Patton waved. “Still waiting for some clarification.”

            Virgil sighed as he dumped a bunch of balls at the giggling side’s feet. “Thomas, for some inane reason, was put on ‘distract Valerie’ duty for the day. As she’s supposed to be surprised by her surprise party…”

            “…we’ve got to keep her… deceived.” Logan sighed as he rubbed his forehead. “Is this why Deceit is like a child on a sugar high?”

            “He woke me up at six AM on the dot to make him yarn. SIX AM!” Roman complained as the sweater was thrown at him. It was Red with a crown stitched across the back and _B*tch, I’m Fabulous_ on the front. “Aw… Thanks!” Roman commented to the snake-y side.

            “You’re _not_ welcome!” Deceit was already on another pattern.

            “He also got into Patton’s cookies.” Virgil grinned as Patton gasped.

            “I did NOT!” The yellow man hissed, throwing the middle finger, before he turned to the moral side. “I ate no sugar in the kitchen at five AM in preparation for the day.”

            “HOW long does Thomas have to keep this up?” Logan groaned as Patton rushed into the kitchen, making sure all of his cookies and supplies weren’t gone.

            “The party is at six.” Roman added as he threw on the sweater before three pillows were thrown at his face and another net. “Hey!”

            Deceit cackled. “I hate surprise parties! I despise when Thomas has to keep up a facade! Lying is SO bad!”

            Patton popped out of the kitchen. “So… five today?”

            “No.”

            “Ok. Five pancake plates it is.”

            “Oh _yes_ give the hyperactive three-year-old MORE sugar.” Virgil groaned out before he got hit with a hacky sack. “Hey!” He turned to the lying side.

            “What? That wasn’t me. Oh, and yes please don’t give me more sugar.” He lied with a bright grin.

            Soon enough there were rainbow throws to fill a closet, and Roman had to expand out the single hall closet into what could be described as a small store front to attend to all the woven junk Deceit made. Virgil was anxious because THOMAS was anxious about lying, so he was doing his best to help Roman keep things from getting tangled, as it was Roman’s job to help keep the ‘game’ up.

            Deceit only let up when Patton announced food was ready, and even then he still had yarn coming off of him in random places – purple strands falling out of his boot, pink under his hat (which they found when Patton told him to take off his hat at the table), yellow hanging off his cloak, and so much more.

            When Valerie was surprised, though, the end to the weaving madness came. The rest of the sides sighed as Deceit ran through his last bit of yarn. “Darn. I was seriously having fun… I mean, I hated it all.” He corrected as he gathered up a mess of his blankets. “Well, with that all complete, I will not take my leave…”

            “Hey, hold up, mister.” Patton waved as Deceit froze. He looked back to see Patton grinning, wearing one of the scarves that Deceit had made. It was blue with cats on it because Deceit knew Patton would _hate_ it. Really, he loved knitting, but his room was getting a little cramped. Revealing himself had allowed him access to the common areas, and he _totally_ didn’t go overboard in that.

            “Yes?” He questioned, confusion carefully hidden.

            “Well, with all these things made, why don’t we make a pillow fort and watch some movies!” Patton grinned as Deceit’s eyes blew wide.

            Virgil groaned behind Patton. “Uhg… no, nope nope, I’m out.”

            “CASTLE FORT!” Roman cried as he grabbed as many blankets as he could.

            “I, too, would rather not.” Logan commented.

            “Nope! Movie night!” Patton threw before grinning and snapping his fingers.

            Instantly, everyone was changed into slacks and PJs that suited their tastes. Logan wore black galaxy sweats with a blue t-shirt imprinted with a fake blue tie, Roman was in red flannel combo with little crowns, Virgil was in a plain purple tank and black and white flannel pants, and Patton’s shirt had a puppy on it to match his paw-printed pants.

            Deceit took a moment to realize that the normal weight of his attire was gone. He looked down to see his cape and jacket replaced with a long-sleeve shirt, black with a little yellow snake on the breast pocket in the shape of a heart. The sweats on his legs were plain black with yellow edging the bottom of the pants.

            Deceit looked back up to see the big eyes of Patton staring him down.

            “You can’t win.” Logan sighed as he sat on the couch. “Once Patton pulls out the PJs, there’s no escape.”

            Roman grinned back. “Patton pulls rank, and it’s over.”

            It was true. Patton was one of the two oldest sides in the Mindscape as Emotions was what came of Thomas shortly after birth, before his mind had developed to differentiate. Patton normally didn’t pull rank like this, but, when he did, it was usually because he sensed someone needed attention (and hugs) dearly. He called it his ‘dad’ sense, and it hadn’t failed yet (much to Logan’s frustration because it DIDN’T MAKE SENSE).

            Deceit grimaced. “I will enjoy this _immensely_.” He ground out as Patton squealed, pulling the side along as construction began.

            In the end, two pillow fights had broken out and several snacks had been devoured. Each person got to pick a movie, and it was then put to a vote (with Deceit’s being flipped because he constantly lied).

            Sometime between the end of _Star Trek_ and the climax of _The Invention of Lying,_ Deceit had found himself nodding off, curling up with the biggest plush he’d made – a rainbow snake with a cape and bowler hat.

            He woke up hours later, but what had woken him had him pause. He found himself under blankets that he hadn’t remembered placing himself (though they were some that he made) as well as tucked neatly with several more of his animals. He’d found that a hand had been tossed over his side, and the sudden movement had awoken him (he was a light sleeper).

            Patton grumbled something as he tugged on Deceit and Logan, to his other side, at the same time. “Hrn… no, the chocolate eggs are THAT way.” He rolled over into Deceit and pushed his head into the pillow. Over him, Deceit could see that Logan had his glasses tossed somewhere as he hugged a pillow to his chest to lie on his side. Virgil and Roman could only be described as a mess of limbs, both terrible sleepers (well, Virgil only was in response to Roman, because he normally moved very little in his sleep).

            Deceit tried to roll out, to ascend back to his room before they reacted, but Patton’s hand on him stopped him. Patton mumbled something else. “Shh… snakey is sleepy.”

            The liar chuckled slightly before he turned over and scooted a little out, the space helping as he felt crowded but not being truly out of the loop. He snuggled the snake as a hand pat on his back. “Good snake.” Patton muttered as Deceit smiled.

            “Utterly dreadful, all of you.” He wove his last lie for the evening as he fell asleep into the webs he’d created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey heads up exams are coming so I might be off for a while. Hope to be back soon, though! Until next time!


	6. Heartbroken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes there isn't a happy ending, and the heart... it takes a toll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You mofos wanted angst? TAKE IT!

            Virgil bit his lip as he played with his hands. His nerves were everywhere, and he was using his weighted blanket like he was inches from floating off again. Logan was reading a book in the corner as Roman bit his lip excitedly. “Come on… Come on…” Roman begged as Thomas took a deep breathe.

            “So, uh… want to catch a flick some time? Like… a date?” He asked with a bright smile.

            The young man before them seemed to twitch, his smile faltering slightly, before he looked away. When he looked back, his smile was small. “Thomas… I really like you as a friend, but I don’t LIKE like you, you know? I don’t think it would work.”

            There was a crash behind the three as they jumped. Patton staring at the bottom of the stairs, his arm to his chest as he stared ahead. “NOOOOOOO!” He cried, tears coming down his face.

            Logan leapt up. “Patton! Are you ok?”

            “NOOOOOOO!” Patton scrambled up, trying to run through the mindscape to get to Thomas. “THOMAS I’M SORRY HONEY!!!”

            He stumbled as he did so, and Roman managed to recover fast enough to grab Patton. “Padre! No!” He called as Patton flinched.

            “Ow… But Thomas! But Ow…”

            Logan stepped around as he turned Patton towards him. Looking at the way Patton held his arm to his body, and he sighed. “Looks like we might have to go to the hospital… It looks broken.”

            “NOOOOO I NEED TO CARE FOR THOMAS!!!” Patton fought even as he favored one side of his body.

            Virgil winced. “Is there something wrong with your foot, Patton?”

            “WE LOVED HIM!!!”

            The ride to the hospital had Patton fluctuating back and forth between wanting to run to Thomas and crying about the boy they had been pinning over so hard. Roman wasn’t too great, either, so the two were in the back comforting each other as best they could. Virgil had given them his weighted blanket, keeping an eye on them as best as he could, and Logan drove.

            The Mindscape hospital was small from the outside, but it was infinitely large for whatever they needed. Patton was looked after by Dr. Pecani, who was on an ER rotation, and the man agreed that Patton had broken his arm and twisted his ankle. It was a clean break, and, with love and cartoons, it would be healed in no time. They were figments of the imagination, after all, and they healed much faster physically then their human did. He even drew Steven Universe’s Lion on the cast, having seen Patton’s hoodie, making Patton smile a bit even as his eyes were watery.

            Back at home, Patton was on the couch, ankle propped and arm slinged to his chest. He and Roman were sipping hot chocolate made by Virgil, who was the only one with any cooking sense aside from Patton. Logan had eyes on the two. “Now, I know this was not an ideal situation, but I also want to give you perspective. While there was attraction to this boy, it may be what the kids called a, ah…” He pulled out his note cards. “Missed bullet?”

            “But he was so FLIPPIN cute!”

            “And he was so KIND!”

            “And he had a DOG!”

            “A DOG, LO!”

            Virgil shook his head as he set his hands on Patton’s shoulders. The emotional side looked up with tears down his face. “I know I’m not the best at this, but I… I think Logan’s right. He was kind, but I wasn’t sure that he was going to work out.”

            Patton sniffled as he blew his nose into a tissue. “I know, it will pass, but I’m still… Heartbroken.” He smiled as he gestured to the cast.

            Logan groaned as he stood. “Well, I think there is only one immediate solution to this.” He commented as he left the room for the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a huge tub of ice cream and cookies as well as plates and his cell phone. “I believe a ‘gurl’s night’ is in order? Is that the term Sleep prefers? We can also order Pizza for sustenance as Patton should not be cooking.”

            “Man, two for two, Logan.” Virgil smiled as he grabbed a few items from the struggling side. “Yeah, let’s do something like that. Should I pull up Netflix?”

            “Yes, ‘Netflix and chill,’ correct?” Logan commented as Roman burst into laughter.

            “Damnit, Specs, you were on a roll!” He crackled at the misuse of slang.

            Patton looked confused at Roman. “Logan has a good point, kiddo! Netflix and chill would be great!”

            Roman fell off the couch, dying of laughter. Virgil’s face was red, desperately trying not to laugh.

            “…I messed that up, didn’t I?” Logan questioned as Paton shrugged with one shoulder.

            “I’m not sure what the joke was.” Patton made grabby hands for the cookies. “Feed me?”

            Logan smiled as he handed the side a cookie. “It seems like a cookie day.”

            Thomas got home and frowned. “Well, that sucks.” He sighed as he looked around the kitchen. He opened the fridge, not really feeling like real food, but there was a roll of cookie dough there that he didn’t remember buying… He pulled it out, eyebrow raised. “When did I buy this?”

            Cookies sounded pretty good, though. Ice cream, too. Sure enough, there was a carton of ice cream in the freezer that he also didn’t remember buying, but he really wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He may have struggled with cooking, but even he could make cookies from dough.

            He got them set up on the baking sheet on the metal pan. He didn’t even bother with the bowls and scooped a bunch of ice cream into a mug from the drying rack. About ten minutes later, the cookies were made, he put a few on a plate and took the ones that broke on the transfer into the ice cream.

            He took his loot over to the sofa and grabbed his laptop from where it was on the table. He scrolled through random websites before he found some new episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that he’d missed.

            He put the laptop down and let it play. Settling back into his couch, he shifted as something dug into his back. He reached around to grab the item.

            The puppy had a red sash and sword in one paw while the other was wrapped in what looked like bandages. It was squishy, and Thomas put it next to him as the show started. He was interrupted a few times by various texts from friends – a few had heard about what had happened and sent hugs or offers to hang out, and Thomas was truly happy that he had such great people in his life.

            In the mindscape, Patton and Roman were smushed between Logan and Virgil. Patton’s arm was already mending as his ankle was fine. Roman was calmed and already planning their next conquest of love. Virgil was stuffing his face with popcorn as Logan was PRECICELY measuring his ice cream out to make the ideal ice cream sandwiches. Ahead of them, they were watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well with plans to binge on comedies after.

            Heartbreak hurt, but there was always ice cream, TV, and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOO.... I KINDA sometimes stress write when I want to avoid work??? So I wrote this???
> 
> Whoops.
> 
> Ah well. Patton and Roman will be ok, though. They're tougher then they look.
> 
> It's also shorter because I don't really write angst. I like fluff too much, and thus cuddles in the end.
> 
> Until next time! I promise the next chapter I post will be a lot less angsty :D


	7. Drawing a Blank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever have those days where you just... Draw a Blank?
> 
> This is one of those days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR I'm studying!
> 
> BUUUUTTTT.... (hehe butt) ...then this happened.

            Virgil stared at the figure lying face-forward into the ground. It was a facet of Thomas, given that they all had the same general appearance, but the anxious side had no idea _who_. They all had their little traits and preferred outfits to help distinguish them from one another, but this side was not in a cat hoodie or a blue tie nor did he bear a cape or clutch a starbucks cup. He was face-first into the floor, arms and legs out in an eagle form, wearing a plain white shirt and simple blue jeans with red sneakers.

            “Uh…” Virgil hesitantly poked the side with the tip of his foot. “You ok man?”

            “Noooooo…” Virgil recognized the accent as the side rolled over. Sure enough, it was Roman. Where he had been lying before, though, was now a white spot in the carpet, a blank in the mindscape. “I’m drawing a blank.”

            Virgil blinked owlishly.

            “Right, you haven’t been here for this.” Roman sat up and rubbed his face. “Thomas needs ideas. He’s sitting at his kitchen counter trying to drum up ideas, and I’ve got NOTHING.” Roman threw his hands in the air.

            “That doesn’t explain…” Virgil vaguely pointed to the floor. “This.”

            Roman groaned as he put his hand on the nearby couch. When he removed it, there was also a blank there; however, within a few moments, it faded back to the color it was before. “When I’m drawing blanks I end up, quite literally, creating blanks. Nothing sticks, of course, but it’s a thing.”

            “Ok.” Virgil nodded.

            There was silence before Roman groaned and flopped back onto the floor. “I can’t even right now. Just leave me here to perish. Go, save yourself.”

            Virgil rolled his eyes as he sat down. Even when Roman was blanking, he was still as dramatic as ever. “Look, I’m not the comforting type, but have you done what Thomas said to do when he’s having trouble with ideas?”

            “YES.” The Prince threw. “We went to get coffee – Sleep says hi – and took a walk but then it started raining and we didn’t have an umbrella and LOGAN was no help…”

            Anxiety felt like someone had slapped him. “Wait, isn’t Logan part of this process?”

            There was another groan behind Virgil. The man looked around until his eyes fell on a black sneaker sticking out from under a pile of pillows Virgil, in his stunned state of seeing Roman, had missed. Virgil got up and pulled away the pillow at the other end. Sure enough, the underside of the pillow was blank as a side in a white t-shirt but at least with glasses stared up at nothing. “Put it back.” Logan’s voice answered Virgil’s look.

            Virgil sighed as he dropped the pillow on the floor. “What’s with you two? And what’s with the outfits?”

            “When we are blanking, our choice in clothes does, too.” Logan answered as he tried to burrow back into the cushions. “All my beautiful plans failed and now I can’t even come up with a solution…”

            Virgil rubbed his forehead as the two “thinking” sides of the core sides (as they – Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil – made up the core parts of Thomas’ personality) both continued to blank. He had never experienced a blank before as Anxiety worked off of present ideas and the framing of said thoughts. Patton was the same, but Roman literally made unique ideas and planned how to bring them into existence. Logan did this as well, though his were more objective to Roman’s subjective thoughts.

            As the purple-clothed side looked between the two, he REALLY needed to get back-up. Worst, though, was Patton was taking a “me” day today. He’d been in a rough mood today, so he was up in his room just doing things that helped him break from the regular madness. Virgil felt like it would be jerky of him to ruin Patton’s quiet day by dragging him into this.

            The anxious side groaned as he thought of the next eligible ‘volunteer’ came to mind. He was technically a thinking side, though not a core one, so maybe he had experience with this? _Uhg._ Virgil mentally grumbled as he prepared himself. He stepped out of the room and into the hallway as he got ready.

            Then he summoned the person he was looking for.

            “ _SO_ good to see you, Raccoon Eyes.”

            “Yeah, yeah.” Virgil waved at the lying side as he looked over his shoulder. “Look, I’m not going to start anything because I need help.”

            Deceit looked intrigued as he grinned. “Oh? You _may_ have my attention.”

            Virgil grabbed Deceit’s sleeve and pulled him over to the room. As he looked in, though, Deceit shrieked and pulled back from the purple side.

            “Gawd DAMN it, Virgil! Don’t get that near me!” He hissed as he backed into the hall. Virgil followed the other side back.

            “So… You know what to do?” Virgil questioned again.

            Deceit looked like he was looking himself over. “Do you see any white spots on me? If you get me FUCKING sick SO HELP ME…”

            Virgil knew that if Deceit was flustered he just forgot to lie, but when he added swears he was always honest. Virgil blinked at the way Deceit was acting. “So, what, it’s like the flu or something?”

            “Yes, asshole, it’s the creating sides’ version of the flu. You EMOTIONALS are so lucky not to get it.” Deceit pulled over his cloak to see the back. “And you brought me into this sick den! What am I supposed to do if Thomas is asked ‘does this dress make me look fat?’ I can’t draw a blank on the simple shit! I’m a MASTER!”

            The anxious side seemed to calm slightly. Ok, flu? He could handle flu. This was just a really weird version of the flu. “So, soup, blankets…”

            “Yeah. Medication and all that. Movies and books help. If they rest they’ll be fine in the- IS THAT A SPOT?” Deceit shrieked as Virgil rolled his eyes. He plucked the white fuzz off of Deceit that had gotten attached to his pant leg. “FUCK!”

            “Ok, get out of here. I don’t want to deal with three sick losers.” Virgil shoved Deceit out. Deceit glared back.

            “Yeah, and next time? PLEASE call me whenever Prince Perfect and Tumultuous Teacher over there get this.” Deceit lied once before sinking out faster than Virgil had seen a side ever do so. Virgil vaguely thought about how Deceit was a bit of a drama queen about getting sick.

            Armed with the knowledge that he was immune and this was simply sickness, Virgil marched back to the living room to see that Roman had only moved a few inches, as there was a fading trail of white beside him, and Logan was still lost somewhere under the pillows. Sighing, Virgil focused on the sofa.

            He wasn’t a creating side, so this part was going to be harder. In order to make something in the mindscape, you had to really understand it and be able to visualize it before pulling it into existence. Virgil didn’t know much about couch designs, but he knew the inner workings of a pillow top mattress. He pulled the coffee table out of the way before he added a wooden box topped with the mattress in his head. It took a few adjustments, but he eventually made it level with the couch. It was, of course, covered in black and purple sheets, but, hey, he wasn’t creative.

            No, Creativity was on the floor blubbering about pretty knights that he’d never meet.

            Virgil huffed but decided he wasn’t done. “Ok Princey, up and at ‘em.” Virgil nudged the prince with his foot again.

            Roman groaned and swatted at the foot.

            The man glared at his counterpart on the ground as he tried to nudge again. Princey refused to move, so Virgil got down onto his knees and dug his hands under Roman’s arms and began to pull the man up. “What have you been EATING? You’re heavy, dude.”

            Roman’s head lolled back and looked at Virgil. “IIiiiii Haaaavveee NOTHING!” Princey cried as Virgil finally managed to get him up onto the couch-bed. Logan was easier. Virgil just had to dig him out and roll him over.

            The two sides were both spilling white onto the dark sheets, but Virgil didn’t care. He pulled some more pillows and blankets from the closet and just threw them on top of the two’s bodies.

            Virgil turned on the TV to some random channel and grabbed water and cookies from the kitchen. He came back, though, to find Logan trying to grab a notebook.

            “Nope.” Virgil took the book and threw it across the room. Logan stared at it.

            “WHY?”

            “Because you need to get better. Break time, drink water…” Virgil waved his hand around in the air. “Feel better things.”

            Logan adjusted his glasses. “FEEELINGS. Yuck. Yucky. What do you take me for? Patton?”

            Roman looked at Logan. “You’re NOT Patton?”

            Virgil rubbed his forehead, a headache already forming. “You guys are terrible sick people.” He threw before he turned shoved the water bottles at them. “Drink, now.”

            “Shots.”

            “No, Logan, like… water.” Virgil had a long night ahead of him.

            Eventually he managed to get them to drink the water and take a nap. Virgil only had so much cooking skill, so he made soup from a can. He took some up to Patton, too, with a note for the dad. Roman was a little more coherent when he woke and whined about Disney.

            So, they watched Disney.

            Roman was clutching a tissue as the movie ended. “I can’t BELIEVE that ending! Cinematic MASTERPIECE!” He balled as Virgil pat his shoulder. Virgil was still on the couch part as Roman and Logan had buried themselves under the blankets. Thankfully, it was obvious they were recovering. Logan’s shirt was looking more like a polo, and his dark blue tie was back (though it was missing the black stripes). Roman’s shirt had become long sleeved and his arms bore patches vaguely resembling his emblem.

            Logan stole the remote from Roman as he turned to the TV. “Ok, now that THAT is over, we’re watching Planet Earth.”

            “HEY!” Roman made a grab before Virgil swatted the hand back.

            “Logan’s turn.” He threw without looking up from his phone.

            Logan smirked as he flipped through the TV to his show of choice. Virgil, in his moment, looked out to where Thomas was.

            Thomas was in bed, half asleep as he watched TV on his computer. He had followed the logical and creative sides in taking a rest day.

            Virgil felt someone tap his shoulder as he pulled back into the mindscape. He looked up to see Patton leaning over the trio. Roman was softly snoring in a ball to one side of Virgil, having fallen asleep some time when Virgil was looking out, and Logan was enthralled by the television. “Hey kiddo.” Patton greeted as he ruffled Virgil’s hair. “What happened down here today?”

            The anxious side shrugged. “Logan and Roman got a case of the Blanks.”

            Patton looked confused as he looked over the two. “The… blanks?”

            “Thinking flu or something.” Virgil shrugged. “They’re better now.”

            Roman snorted beside Virgil.

            Patton cooed. “Sorry I wasn’t of help today. You know you could have come get me.”

            Virgil felt tired as he slowly shuffled out of the spot he was sandwiched in. He slunk over the couch as Patton helped him over. “They weren’t that bad.” Virgil smiled. “And thanks for the help.”

            Patton smiled as he pushed Virgil towards the stairs. “You go break, kiddo. Let your old man get these two ready for bed. I could use a little work after today’s lounging.”

            “You sure you don’t want help?”

            A second snore joined Roman’s.

            Patton chuckled. “I’ll just get them into PJs and what not. Easy peasy for me.”

            The anxious side sighed. “Thanks, Patton.” Virgil waved him off as he headed to bed.

            Patton smirked as he took out his phone. He leaned over to see Roman snuggling into Logan’s legs as Logan’s glasses were skewed.

            “You guys are adorable.” He snapped a few pics.

            The next morning, there was screaming, there was havoc, and, when Virgil did come down for brunch, Roman was getting glitter all over the floor as he was making… something. A lot of somethings. Virgil didn’t know what they were, but they were covered in glitter. Logan had somehow gotten a whiteboard into the kitchen and was scribbling away like a mad man. Half the board was certifiable genius, and the other half was him trying to figure out memes.

            Above all, they were both in their normal attire.

            “Morning, kiddo!” Patton greeted as he handed Virgil a cup of cocoa. Virgil preferred coffee, but caffeine also made him jittery.

            “My Dark and Stormy Knight!” Roman moved behind Virgil, and the anxious side waited for the usual teasing to begin.

            Instead, he was grabbed and spun, pinned to the chest of someone. Virgil blinked before he looked over to see that Roman was hugging him. “Thanks for dealing with us yesterday. Blanks are the worst.”

            Someone cleared their throat, and Virgil looked up to see Logan had somehow grabbed his drink before it could spill all over the floor (or themselves). “Yes, usually Drawing a Blank lasts longer, but your process helped revitalize us all the sooner. I, we, must thank you for that.” Logan coughed. “I also… apologize for any tomfoolery that I might have sprouted in my state.”

            Virgil pat Roman before getting out of the hug. It wasn’t that Roman’s hugs were bad, but they were a bit much (like the man himself could be). “Uh, no problem, guys.” He nodded as he took a seat, Logan handing him his drink with a small smile.

            “Now! I must get back to my work! That relaxation INSPIRED me!”

            “Yes, I must agree that rest can help the brain.”

            Virgil smiled slightly as the two got off to their usual havoc, and, for once, it was pretty great. Patton was humming and cooking, Logan was muttering about who-knows-what, and Virgil was pretty sure Roman was reciting play lines. Really, it felt like a good day.

            “Be honest with me, Thomas, does this shirt make me look fat?” Virgil heard vaguely somewhere.

            “Uh… n-no! It, uh… I love the color?”

            Virgil choked on his drink as a body fell through the ceiling and crashed into the floor. The sides looked to see a very plain looking facet laying there.

            When he side glanced up, one normal and one snake eye bore into Virgil as the ground seeped with white. “You motherfucker! You got me SICK!”

            Roman shrieked as he ran from the kitchen, a trail of glitter following him. Logan covered his mouth and nose with his tie, skirting the room as he, too, ran for the hills.

            Patton was staring at the side on the floor owlishly as Virgil banged his head into the table. “Deceit???” Patton gasped as he put it together.

            “Fuck.” The side at the table groaned.

            It was official. Drawing a blank was the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at first I was like "'Drawing a Blank' sounds very Roman" but as I was writing I was also like "But... I draw blanks writing papers all the time... which is Logan..." and then it was like. Lightning. "HOMG Sick Day"
> 
> So drawing a blank is like having a "thought creation" side sick. I kind of see Anxiety and Morality as more feelings sides and, while they can generate some unique thoughts, they're more about taking your already-made thoughts and framing them. Like "I took a test today" becomes "Shit, I took a test today" or "Well! I took a test today!" Like the "taking a test" is more logically generated but depending on who's framing it it becomes "oh shit I failed" to "I did great!" and everything in between XD
> 
> Also the more I write Deceit the more he becomes the ridiculous comedic character??? What???
> 
> (I can't help it, it's too easy to turn him into a flamboyant loser who's suave facade is all a lie XD)
> 
> So I'm REALLY hoping nothing more comes this week because studies but *shrug* who even knows?


	8. Bruised and Battered Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman gets in over his head and suffers the consequences. Not wanting to disappoint, though, he tries to hide... until his family comes looking for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY PRIDE MONTH MY FELLOW GAYBIES! What better way to get the ball rolling then an oldie but goodie AND Roman Angst?

            Roman groaned as Dr. Pecani looked over his charts once more, adjusting the medication inflow to his arm. “Well, it’s not the worst you’ve been in, but it’s certainly not the best.” The fake/real doctor sighed as he adjusted his glasses. “I really should advise you to not do these things, but…”

            “I’m a glutton for punishment, Doc.” Roman noted as he set his head back, staring at the ceiling.

            It had been a bad day for the Prince. What was supposed to be his crowning day of creativity had left him shattered at the end, Thomas’ ego so bruised and battered that it was a heaven sent that the man was even able to function right now. He had zero self-esteem and was dragging himself home as Roman sat within the hospital within his head.

            Roman’s right leg was propped into the air, hairline fractures down the whole thing thanks to one of the fallacies within the day. His ribs ached as he breathed – one having been dislocated and relocated, but there were two more that were bruised. His arm was covered in gauze, hiding a rather large scrape that required stitches, and the rest of his body was just littered with bruises, abrasions, and cuts, covered in a variety of bandages and creams. He was also, according to the doctor, suffering from a low grade dose of the Blanks – not enough to show yet, but it was there, hence the medication as his body was already strained to heal itself.

            Adding insult to injury? His suit was destroyed. It sat in a garbage can in the corner, having been shredded already when he came in but had to be cut lose to get the rest of his body free for the doctors to diagnosis and care for. His sash hadn’t even made it to the hospital, now lost somewhere between the Imagination and the Mindscape.

            Roman’s body may have ached, but the part of the soul that was his cried out in agony.

            Dr. Pecani made a few more notes before he tucked the pen behind his ear. “You want me to contact the other Cores? You didn’t come in with anyone.”

            Roman winced at the thought. There was a reason none of them were here. What he had thought was a day he could handle alone was a disaster, and he couldn’t bear to face them having failed so spectacularly. He looked away, playing with the hem of his hospital-given pajama shirt. They weren’t nearly as comfortable as his own at home, but they had a little crown on the breast pocket that had appeared when Roman put it on, suggesting that at least the Blanks were at bay.

            “I’m good for now, Doc. I’ll call them later.” Roman tried to get up. “Now, if you could just sign me out…”

            “Woah! Hold the phone, mister.” Emile tossed his hands on the Side as Roman nearly toppled. “You can’t leave until the medication is at least fully administered, and I don’t even think I’d let you go then. You are in no state to travel by yourself. That’s like Robin trying to fight the evil biker with a broken arm… but worse! No, you stay, and don’t think of sinking out! This is a no-sink zone.”

            Roman tried again, but whatever was in the medication bag was making him loopy. He fell back into the bed with a huff. “I’m fine.”

            Dr. Pecani simply lifted an eyebrow.

            “Ok, ok, I’ll stay until the medication is done.” He assured as the doctor didn’t look sure but nodded either way.

            The doctor turned and put on the TV on Disney Channel, _Star vs the Forces of Evil_ now on the TV. He handed the remote to Roman. “You should watch TV and maybe take some time to sleep. Again, you should also consider calling your family.” He added as Roman sighed.

            “I’ll… call them later.” Roman said even as it felt like a lie on his tongue. The doctor left, leaving the room quiet except for the TV lightly in the background and the faint beep of the heart monitor, ropes of wires heading into his shirt from the neckline and the bottom of his shirt. Roman contemplated taking off the wires and running for it, but he’d not make it far. His leg was, of course, a mess, and the second he tried at least ten facets/extensions/imaginary personas would spot him and drag him back.

            Plus Logan would be disappointed in him tearing out his medical gear so badly, and Patton would incredibly distraught, period. Oh, and Virgil was sure to worry the whole time. Roman felt a lump of guilt at the bottom of his gut as he thought about them being so much more as these thoughts spun in his head.

            He felt his body hurt even more, his self-esteem in the gutter and digging through the floor.

            Some time in the cycle of the distraction and growing guilt, he fell asleep.

            When Roman came to, he realized he was not alone.

            A large plush crown was nuzzled into his side as Patton leaned on in, snoring as he held Roman’s wrapped hand gently. Roman rolled his head to see Logan in the chair in the corner, passed out as his fingers held a section of a book open on his lap. Virgil was leaning on the logical side’s shoulder, his earbuds in as he looked absolutely clonked out.

            The door opened slowly as another head peaked in. “Good to see you up, Creativity. Thought I may have gone heavy handed on the sedative.” Dr. Pecani noted as he came in.

            “How… how long have I been out?” He whispered, not wanting to wake anyone.

            The doctor took the cue and kept his own voice down. “About three hours. Not uncommon for all of this. Thomas is still napping after the rough day.” He checked the chart before waving his hand at the cast on Roman’s leg. It lowered to the bed and changed from a cast that ran the full of his leg to only a short cast that would allow Roman to still bend his knee as opposed to before. Many of the other bandages had been peeled away and most of the scratches were gone. He still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad now. “You are recovering nicely, but it will still be a few days.”

            “I thought I said not to call the others.” Roman threw as he tried to get his arm away from Patton, but Patton did not release. _Had they seen him and shown disdain and disappointment? Had they only waited to give him a speech on his failures?_

Dr. Pecani shook his head. “They showed up over an hour ago panicked. We have a Family policy, so we escorted them back here. Patton bought that from the gift shop, but that was the only time they left.” He told with a smile. “You wouldn’t believe how worried they were. I thought I was going to have to sedate Morality and Anxiety with how worried they were.”

            Roman felt his heart pound as he looked at his family. They were THAT worried about him? He’d gone on longer journeys before, and they’d always seemed so cool and collected when he returned. He thought he was always burdening them when he burst his ego doing something stupid, ignoring everyone else and throwing Thomas into the limelight. It was always his fault for the fallout, after all.

            But this time that he hadn’t even told them that he was injured, and they still came for him.

            There was a snort as the doctor and prince looked to the corner. Virgil sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the two before him. When he registered Roman, he widened his eyes.

            Virgil stood up and stalked over, dark aura all around him as the Prince flinched back, glancing to the doctor for help. The man was impassive, distracted by the notes on his pad. Roman hoped Virgil wouldn’t totally maim him with him being injured AND the doctor RIGHT THERE.

            Virgil stopped mere inches away, his hands raising as they shook, grasping out like he was about to strangle Roman. Roman gulped.

            “You, you _moron._ ” He hissed as Roman flinched, closing his eyes like he was about to get hit. “Do you know how much Patton and I freaked out?”

            _Of course._ Roman thought. _His antics had probably made Virgil so anxious, which would make Patton worried._

            “Don’t you EVER do this again!” The anxious side hissed before Roman felt something. Hands settled on his shoulders. Roman dug up his last bits of bravery and opened his eyes. Virgil’s eyes rimmed in water as he looked at Roman. “Don’t be stupid, stupid. Be careful and if you get injured, call us! We looked all over for you after everything with Thomas. If Logan hadn’t called the hospital, we’d still be combing the Imagination.”

            Roman was thoroughly confused. “Wait, what?”

            The strings that seemed to hold Virgil’s body seemed to snap as the dark aura was gone. He slumped, hands heavy, as he shook his head. “Don’t you get it? Ok, let me make it simple – you disappeared, we knew you had to be injured, and we freaked out, now swear that you won’t go hiding again, goddamnit.” He swore as Patton snorted.

            “Language.” The Emotional Side snorted without waking.

            Roman felt his heart soar as Dr. Pecani noted that even more injuries were stitching themselves together. “Yeah… I guess I should have had the doc call sooner… I won’t leave you guys hanging again.” He promised. “I was just… I mean… I’m just sorry that I failed you all so badly…”

            “Stop talking bad about yourself.” The two turned to see Patton rising, adjusting his glasses as he looked on tired but together. His eyes were a bit bloodshot, most likely from crying. “It’s ok to mess up, kiddo. We all do it, and we all agreed that this was your area of expertise. Even if things didn’t go as planned, it’s better to get help and learn then try to do it on your own. Besides! It wasn’t a total waste. Thomas made a new friend while waiting in that line, and his friends are coming over later with take out! And things could still work out tomorrow.”

            Roman felt tears now in his eyes, and they weren’t from the pain. “Patton… Virgil… Just… thank you.”

            “If Logan was awake, he’d be adding his facts about probability and what not – I mean, remember the debate?” Virgil shrugged as he looked over at their fourth. “Yeah, it’s not always our day, and today downright sucked, but we’re all tired now. I’m just gonna wind back tonight and we can freak out about calls and sh… uh, stuff, tomorrow.” Virgil looked as Patton glared. “So can we, like, just give up and go to bed now?”

            Roman laughed watery as the doctor cleared his throat, reminding the other sides that he was still present.

            “As it stands, Roman here is about as ready to go as Star was to the Blood Moon Ball!” He grinned as he wrote a few notes. “A nurse will be by soon to unhook you, but I’m prescribing lots of rest and not too many adventures for the next few days. Build back up slowly and regain that confidence, and don’t be afraid to contact us if you feel therapy is needed to regain the spring in your step.” Emile smirked as he pulled something off his clip board and handed it to Roman. It was a big sticker with a golden star on it.

            Patton cooed as Roman took it. “It’s so pretty! I remember I got a cat one when we were here last!”

            “You have a book of those stickers, Pat.” Virgil threw with a roll of his eyes. “With the number of times you’ve had allergic reactions…”

            “In my defense, the cats were PAWS-atively PURR-fect!”

            Logan shot up from his seat, book dropping to the ground. “FALSHOOD!”

            As all eyes were on him, he seemed to realize he was no longer dreaming. “Uh…” He cleared his throat. “I was… ah…” He sighed, muttering about something.

            “What was that, Specs?” Roman teased as Logan looked.

            “YOU!” He pointed. “Do you know how illogical it was for you to discontinue speaking to us? I had Patton FEELINGS going all over the place, and Virgil was inconsolable.”

            “Lies and slander.” Virgil threw. “I was the face of calm without Sir Sing-a-lot spewing every Disney song under the sun.”

            Logan picked up his book, looking at Virgil confused. “Unless I am mistaken, tear stains and your comments of concern were quite clear.”

            “Yeah, son! You and I were balling up a storm!” Patton added as he held Roman’s shoulder. He smiled to the Prince. “But you were SO CUTE when we got here. Even Logan was worried. He didn’t even finish his Crofters when we realized you were missing! Just plum left it on the counter and got us man- _go_ -ing!”

            Logan groaned. “My poor Crofters is just SITTING there apri-forgotten.”

            “Haha good one!” Roman added with a laugh. “Can’t take it for pome-granted tho! Your puns are few and far between!”

            Logan turned around to go out the door. “That’s it. I’m leaving.”

            Emile smiled. “You can help me get the paperwork going, if you wouldn’t mind, Logic.” He added as he approached.

            Logan looked back at Roman. “You’re getting discharged already?”

            Roman smiled. “Can’t keep a good Prince down!”

            “Yes, we can.” Patton threw his arms around Roman, careful fo the cords. “You are going no where the next few days. I am going to take care of you, and if you fight me, I will FIGHT YOU.”

            “Or cry.” Virgil nodded. “And who wants to make Patton cry?”

            Patton’s puppy dog eyes shown bright as Roman laughed. “Fine! Fine! I concede to these terms of surrender! But only if we watch Disney movies and order pizza.”

            “You need real food, Roman.” Logan chided as Emile went out first. “Sandwiches and soup – no cream broth. That will irritate your stomach again.”

            Roman smiled as his family took care of him. He was still battered and bruised, but at least they were there to bring him back up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to bring this back! I still have so many ideas, and it's sure fun to write! Comments feed the plot bunnies, so please leave them!
> 
> Until next time! Thanks again!


End file.
